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Cleveland Indians: Are More September Call Ups on the Way?

By Matt Bretz |
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Sep 28, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians second baseman Zach Walters (6) is congratulated by Cleveland Indians center fielder Tyler Holt (62) after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Indians have already called up a numbers of players, including Shawn Armstrong and Giovanni Soto, but could there be more on the way?  The Triple-A Columbus Clippers are currently up two games to one in their best of five series with the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh farm team).  If they hang on and win the series they’ll play in the Triple-A Championship Game on Tuesday, September 22nd. If they were to lose the series to Indianapolis their season will end this Sunday.  Either way, the Clippers season will end within a week, and there are several members that could soon join the big league club in Cleveland to bolster the big league roster.

The 40-Man Roster Members

There are several members of the Clippers who are already on the Tribe’s 40-man roster so bringing them up would be simple. These players include Tyler Holt OF, Michael Choice OF, Zach Walters OF/IF, Jesus Aguilar 1B, C.C. Lee RP, and Ryan Merritt SP.  Now just because these players are on the 40-man roster doesn’t mean they are locks to be called up in the coming week.  The roster is starting to get full and calling a guy up just to sit on the bench isn’t always the best move for a player as it can needlessly waste service time.

That said, I’d expect to see Tyler Holt recalled as the Indians are really without a true backup centerfielder at the moment behind Abraham Almonte.  Michael Martinez did start out there the other day but he’s an infielder by trade as is Mike Aviles.  Holt has already seen some action with the big league club and has enjoyed a very good season with the Clippers batting .302 with a .386 OBP and 125 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus). This is the second consecutive year that Holt has hit over .300 at Triple-A.  Oh, and he’s not too bad in the outfield as seen by this game winning catch the other day:

Michael Choice and Jesus Aguilar are two guys I would personally like to see called up; however, I’m not convinced we will see them in an Indians uniform this year.  Both are right-handed and the Tribe already has Ryan Raburn, Chris Johnson, Mike Aviles, and Jerry Sands on the bench from the right side.  While I’d like to see a guy like Aguilar get some more big league at-bats, it would seem Sands is ahead of both him and Choice so at-bats would likely be hard to come by. 

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Aguilar had another very good year for the Clippers hitting .267 with a .771 OPS and 121 wRC+. He was an All-Star again and also hit 19 home runs and had 93 RBI.  He was also named the best defensive 1B in the International League by Baseball America.  There’s really not much more Aguilar has to prove at Triple-A so it’ll be very telling how the Indians organization handles him. I think the Indians will almost have to call him up, whether he plays though remains to be seen…

Michael Choice was a late addition after he was acquired in August from the Texas Rangers. Choice has spent some time in the big leagues in the past including 86 games in 2014.  He struggled this year though in Triple-A batting just .204 with the Clippers. He has, however, enjoyed a nice postseason hitting two home runs in the last two games for the Clippers. The Indians obviously saw something in Choice they like and there’s a reasonable chance the former top prospect could be called up though as mentioned with Aguilar, playing time could be very tough for him to get.

Zach Walters got passed over for Michael Martinez earlier this month and is not having the best season for the Clippers.  His versatility could still get him recalled, but the Indians may just have him take a mental break and come see him again next spring.  Walters though would provide the Indians with some much needed bench power. While he hit only .181 in the big leagues last year he did slug 10 home runs in just 137 plate appearances last year. He’s a guy I would call-up given versatility/power potential.  He even hit for the cycle last night in the Clippers’ 6-5 loss. However, he was also injured on a play at the plate and it appeared serious. Health could determine whether he’s called up or not.

C.C. Lee has become the forgotten bullpen arm down in Triple-A as he’s been passed up by fellow righties Austin Adams and Shawn Armstrong.  Lee is running out of time though to prove his worth to the organization so a final call-up could be in order as his roster spot seems tenuous at best heading into the offseason.  He did, however, have a very good year in Triple-A posting a 3.39 ERA, 2.68 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP in 58.1 innings. He also struck out over ten per nine innings and had a 4:1 K:BB ratio.  Even with the addition of Trevor Bauer to the bullpen there would appear to be a spot for Lee, even if his usage was virtually zero.

Ryan Merritt is on the 40-man roster so he at least deserves a mention; however, it would seem like a long-shot that the left-handed starting pitcher would get a promotion. He pitched very well in his first taste of Double-A and got a late call-up to Triple-A Columbus, where he handled himself well enough. However, the Indians are not in need of another starter and Merritt doesn’t have the strikeout stuff the Indians are likely to look for in bullpen arms. The only reason he’d get any consideration is the fact that he’s left-handed, though even then he’s still a long-shot in my eyes. 

Next: Players Not on the 40-Man Roster

James Ramsey (92) slides into third base. Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Players Not on the 40-Man Roster Could Be Added Too

There are a couple players that are currently not on the Cleveland Indians’ 40-man roster that could also be called up.  James Ramsey is one such player. He was acquired last summer from the St. Louis Cardinals for Justin Masterson.  He hasn’t had the best season at Triple-A Columbus batting just .243/.327/.382 though he does have a 107 wRC+ and solid 10.5% walk rate. He does have the ability to play all three outfield spots and can play them reasonably well.

Ramsey is also Rule 5 Draft eligible this winter so the Indians will have to decide whether to add him to the 40-man or risk losing him. If the Indians are planning on adding him (which I would believe they are), then adding him now is something they could do. The fact that Ramsey hits left-handed could also benefit him as the Indians are actually pretty thin in that regard. At times the only left-handed hitter the Indians will have on their bench is Michael Martinez (as was the case last night), and he’s a switch hitter.  Despite this, I’d be a bit surprised if Ramsey was called up. Despite 630 plate appearances at Triple-A and displaying above average offense he doesn’t seem to be a high priority guy. 

More from Cleveland Guardians Prospects

Two other players that could be added are catchers Adam Moore or Brett Hayes.  Brett Hayes was with the Indians briefly this year when Yan Gomes was on the disabled list. Neither Moore nor Hayes figure into the Tribe’s long-term plans but many teams prefer to carry a third catcher in September as an emergency. The Indians have done this several times adding such players as Kelly Shoppach and Chris Gimenez in recent years.  The Indians currently seem content riding Gomes as their starter with only Roberto Perez as the backup, and I’d guess that will continue honestly.

If the Indians decide they want to add another pitcher they could look to Toru Murata who made one start for the Indians during a double-header earlier in the year.  He’d potentially provide Tito Francona with another option as a long-reliever out of the pen should a game get out of hand early. However, now that Corey Kluber is back healthy the Tribe is already at six starting pitchers, plus the addition of Gavin Floyd makes a Murata addition seem unlikely (tho no impossible).

Shaun Marcum is also still pitching for the Columbus Clippers. The Indians could decide to reward him for sticking around all year with a token call up. He, like Murata, could be a long-man in the pen and simply give Tito one extra arm to burn should the need (hopefully never) arise.

Tyler Naquin is a player I personally wanted to see in Cleveland this year but sadly injuries prevented him from ever getting a real shot.  He, like Ramsey, is Rule 5 Draft eligible this winter but being banged up yet again he’ll miss out on any September call-up unfortunately.  

Next: Who Could Lose a Roster Spot?

Aug 7, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Tyler Holt (13) celebrates with Cleveland Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (8) after scoring during the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Who Could Lose a Roster Spot?

Several players could be in danger of losing their 40-man roster spot, if not now then this winter. Couple guys that could be in serious danger now include catcher Tony Wolters and starting pitcher Jayson Aquino.  Wolters, a converted middle infielder, is a very good defensive catcher but injuries have limited him. He also only hit .209 with a sub .300 OBP with Double-A Akron before getting hurt. He’s got the versatility to play the infield when needed in addition to catching so he’s not a guy I suspect the Indians will want to designate, but he’s a guy who may sneak through waivers.

Jayson Aquino was acquired from the Pirates earlier this year. Originally with the Blue Jays, he enjoyed moderate success in Advanced-A ball this year in three different organizations. With the Indians at Lynchburg, he started six games and had a 2.45 ERA and 2.89 FIP. Very good numbers; however, he also had a K-rate under six per nine innings this season.  He didn’t miss many bats and given he’s still in A-ball, he’s a guy that the Indians probably wouldn’t be overly disappointed if he were to be claimed.

So Who Will Be Called Up?

The Indians current big league roster is at 31 players, six over the standard 25 limit. They have 16 pitchers, nine of which are in the bullpen. There’s 15 position players giving Francona six bench players at any given time.  There is no absolute need per se, to call up anyone else. However, there are a few spots where the Indians definitely could bolster the roster. Tyler Holt helping out in the outfield seems like as good a bet as any.  At least one of Choice/Aguilar seems like it could also happen.  Walters’s injury puts his call-up into question but if healthy I think his power is something the Indians simply can’t leave in the minors.  And finally, C.C. Lee would seem all but certain to be called up.

However, things could also change too if the Indians were to falter this weekend and the season were in jeopardy. They could decide it’s better to not add service time to young players that may never really see the field.  Then again, they could also decide it’s more beneficial to see guys like Aguilar, Choice, and Ramsey getting looks with an eye on 2016 and beyond.  I wouldn’t count on all these young players getting the call, but I would expect two to four of them getting calls, regardless of the Indians playoff situation, with Tyler Holt, Michael Choice, Jesus Aguilar, Zach Walters (if healthy), and C.C. Lee as the most likely candidates.

So which players would you like to see added that haven’t already been called up?  Did I miss one that you would like to see?  Let us know in the comments below.

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